OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE EARL AND COUNTESS OF WESSEX AND LADY LOUISE WINDSOR

THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS ISSUED BY THE PRESS SECRETARY TO THE EARL AND COUNTESS OF WESSEX

A set of official photographs to mark the birth of Lady Louise Windsor is being released for first publication on Saturday, 10 January 2004. A further three photographs will be released for publication on Sunday, 11 January 2004.

The family photographs were taken by The Duke of York at Sandringham over the Christmas holiday.

One image will be available free to members of the media via the Press Association. All profits made from the sale of the other photographs will go to The Earl and Countess of Wessex Charitable Trust.

The Trust, founded in June 1999, is a grant-making trust. Its primary aim is to assist other registered charities and charitable causes, in particular those with which The Earl and Countess have personal connections or interests.

The Trust is particularly interested in supporting projects which provide opportunities to help, support and advance young people. It meets twice a year to consider new applications and review progress from previous recipients. Since 1999, the Trust has made grants totalling £537,265 to a total of 77 charities. Of these charities, 51 were located in England, 20 in other parts of the UK and 6 overseas.

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__________________Today the world has embraced new royal Princesses in the form of Mary of Denmark and Maxima of the Netherlands. But it's questionable whether even these hugely popular, increasingly glamorous future Queens will ever capture the world's imagination in the same way as Diana.As Mario acknowledges: "She really was a true Princess".-www.theroyalist.net-

The statement didn&#39;t say that these pictures are the baby&#39;s christening pictures. I don&#39;t think these are. All the British royals have had official posed photographs of their babies taken a month or two after the baby has been born. I think these pictures are going to just be that. I think it will be another month or so before Louise is christened. Also, I&#39;m sure the press will hear about the christening before it actually happens.

Peter christening was 37 days-old
Zara was 43 days-old
William was 44 days-old
Harry and Beatrice three months
and Eugenie was 9 months-old.
Well, Louise have 61 days-old.

__________________Today the world has embraced new royal Princesses in the form of Mary of Denmark and Maxima of the Netherlands. But it's questionable whether even these hugely popular, increasingly glamorous future Queens will ever capture the world's imagination in the same way as Diana.As Mario acknowledges: "She really was a true Princess".-www.theroyalist.net-

When the Wessexes decided the time had come to take some new photos of their baby girl, they wanted to find a photographer they felt completely comfortable with. Step forward Prince Edward&#39;s older sibling Andrew, who has taken the first official snaps of baby Louise since her birth.

A keen amateur photographer, the Duke of York is said to be delighted the Earl and Countess asked him to help out. "Edward and Sophie decided Andrew was the best person for the job," revealed a source at the Palace. "As he is a member of the family it makes it all the more relaxed when the photographs are being taken."

The 43-year-old snapped a selection of photos during the Windsors&#39; Christmas gathering at Sandringham. And some charming new pictures of the Wessexes, along with their new arrival and the rest of the Royal Family, are to be released by Buckingham Palace at the weekend.

They are the first snaps of little Louise since she was born prematurely on November 8. At first there were fears for the infant&#39;s health, but she has since put on several pounds and is said to be doing very well.

Undated handout photograph shows Britain&#39;s Earl (L) and Countess of Wessex holding their baby daughter Lady Louise Windsor who was born prematurely in November, 2003. The photograph was taken by the Earl&#39;s brother the Duke of York as the family gathered for Christmas at the Sandringham estated in Norfolk, eastern England. EMBARGOED: Not for publication before 0001 January 10, 2004. REUTERS/HO/HRH The Duke of York

well I sure wish it would have been a better picture. Baby&#39;s head is tilted back, can&#39;t see her face well.
Edward and Sophie looking so lovingly...I suppose it&#39;s a &#39;sweet&#39; picture, but just not a very revealing one.
To wait so long for a decent picture, then to see this...it&#39;s a letdown for me.

She looks lifeless in that pic. It would have been better if the baby&#39;s head wasn&#39;t titled back and she looked aware of what was going on. Babies that young can be photographed a lot better than this. And it would have been better if the parents were looking at the camera rather than grinning wildly at each other. I&#39;ve seen some of Andrew&#39;s pictures, and he has done better.

did I read somewhere (can&#39;t remember...other message board I think), that there were 3 or 4 pictures that were being released? And only one of those was a &#39;freebie&#39; the other had to be purchased.
Let&#39;s hope this was a freebie and the others are better then.

Geez I hate to get on an eyebrow soap box again...but WHAT is going on w/ Edwards eyebrows? Tame those caterpillars now...I see shades of the &#39;grumpy old aristocrat&#39; with the runaway eyebrows in his future

Originally posted by kelly9480@Jan 9th, 2004 - 2:59 pm She looks lifeless in that pic. It would have been better if the baby&#39;s head wasn&#39;t titled back and she looked aware of what was going on. Babies that young can be photographed a lot better than this. And it would have been better if the parents were looking at the camera rather than grinning wildly at each other.

I actually prefer that Edward and Sophie are grinning "wildly" at each other rather than looking directly at the camera. Part of the reason they said they chose Andrew is because it would be more relaxed to be photographed by someone so close to them. And quite obvious from their grins that it is sincere and not a &#39;forced&#39; or &#39;for the cameras&#39; grin.

Yes, maybe Louise&#39;s head could&#39;ve been propped up a bit more so that we could see her more clearly, but she&#39;ll have the rest of her life to be photographed. This picture, albeit the first one since Louise left the hospital, is certainly not the last we&#39;ll see of her.

Louise, the little lady who gave everybody a big scare
By Caroline Davies
(Filed: 10/01/2004)

Buckingham Palace has released the first official photographs of Lady Louise Windsor showing that, despite her traumatic entry into the world, the two-month-old daughter of the Earl and Countess of Wessex is thriving.

Lady Louise, who was born prematurely by emergency caesarean, is still small for her age but is putting on weight, according to sources. And she was the focus of attention at Sandringham, where the photographs were taken by her uncle, the Duke of York, between Christmas and New Year.

The Countess too looks well. She is said to be fully recovered from the emergency operation performed to save her daughter&#39;s life, and has clearly lost most of the weight she put on during pregnancy.

The Earl and Countess are in the process of hiring a full-time nanny for Lady Louise, although the Countess intends to be a "hands on" mother.

"She has been spending as much quality time as possible with her daughter, and she is just thrilled at her progress," said one source. "She really is an absolutely adored baby - and a real cutie-pie. She looks like a perfect jolly little baby."

The Earl has also been getting "stuck in", devoting the past few weeks to spending time with her although it is unclear whether he has changed a nappy or not. He will resume his official programme of engagements next week.

Lady Louise Alice Elizabeth Mountbatten-Windsor, who is eighth in line to the throne but does not have the title HRH at her parents&#39; request, is named after the Earl&#39;s paternal great great grandmother, Louise of Hesse (1817-1898).

She was born after the Countess, who had previously suffered an ectopic pregnancy, was rushed to Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey on Nov 8. Immediately after her birth, mother and daughter were separated when Lady Louise was taken to the specialist neo-natal unit at St George&#39;s Hospital in Tooting, south London.

The Queen, who was said to be "very upset" at the time, dotes on her seventh grandchild and spent plenty of time fussing over her during the Royal Family&#39;s annual break at Sandringham.

Unusually, she agreed to pose with the Wessexes and their daughter for an official photograph, taken by the Duke, which will be released tomorrow.

The Earl and Countess asked the Duke, a keen photographer, to take the informal pictures.

"It was their idea and he was delighted to do it," said an aide. "They felt it would look more natural and relaxed if the pictures were taken by a member of the family."

The Duke took more than 200 pictures in all. Seven are being released to the media and the rest distributed to members of the Royal Family, each signed "Edward, Sophie and baby Louise".

The Countess has said she thinks her daughter looks like the Earl. "She really sees him in her," said a source.

The father-daughter bond is obviously strong, demonstrated in one photograph where Lady Louise locks her gaze into the devoted Earl&#39;s eyes. In another, her tiny hand reaches out to grasp the Countess&#39;s finger.

The Countess is not expected to return to a full programme of engagements for some time. Although she has kept in touch with her charities, she has confined herself to paperwork rather than personal appearances.

The pictures are the third official Royal Family photographs taken by Prince Andrew since he bought his first camera in 1983. He took pictures of his mother, the Queen, to mark her 60th birthday, and a portrait for her Golden Jubilee.